River Murray Ferries

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:39): Thank you very much, Deputy—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sit down.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Colton.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Thank you again, Deputy Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister update the house on the replacement of River Murray ferries?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:40): I thank the member for Colton for his question and his ongoing interest in ferries.

Ms Chapman: Have you ever been on one?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Yes, I have been on a ferry. I used to enjoy the ferry ride down at Goolwa before it was replaced with a bridge, but I understand that is a whole other issue. The South Australian government is committed to maintaining and improving our ferry service, which provides a seven-day-a-week service at 12 River Murray ferry crossings free of charge to the community. That's why I am pleased to say that this government is investing $12.8 million in renewing the River Murray ferry fleet.

As part of this commitment, we initiated a new ferries replacement program, currently underway to replace all of the aged timber-hulled ferries still in service. It is our goal to decommission all of the remaining timber-hulled ferries and replace them with new state-of-the-art locally built steel ferries by the end of 2018. I understand some of the timber-hulled ferries have been in service for over 70 years and are certainly at the end of their operational life. As some local members would know, there are currently three ferry services with weight restrictions in place.

Meetings have been held regularly with the Mid Murray Council and the ferry working group regarding the ferry fleet to discuss issues as part of a broader engagement strategy. I would like to thank in particular the member for Hammond for his involvement in these discussions and also for his continued advocacy on behalf of the vital communities who rely on the River Murray and the ability to traverse it when needed.

As many members are aware, the first of the remaining four operational wooden-hulled ferries was replaced at the Lyrup crossing in November last year, which also of course saw the removal of the load limit. The remaining three wooden-hulled ferries are located at Cadell, Mannum upstream and also at Tailem Bend. Our ferry network supports some 30 personnel, who are required on any given day to operate the entire ferry fleet along the river, hence the importance to not only the movement of traffic throughout our regional areas but also employment across our regions.

I am pleased to announce to the house that I have approved the awarding of the contract to build the remaining two steel-hulled ferries to an award-winning family-owned local Mid Murray company which has the proven ability to build steel-hulled ferries on time and on budget, while at the same time supporting employment within their local community. I am pleased to announce that Bowhill Engineering, the successful tenderer for the fabrication of the first two steel hulls, has been awarded the contract to build and deliver the next two steel hulls and associated components.

This project will provide job stability for their skilled workforce of up to approximately 25 people and it is expected to support growth for up to three additional staff members in the near future. The delivery of the third and fourth ferry hulls is expected to take place in 2017 and 2018. A publicly advertised request for tender was called on 16 March and closed on 28 April. Several tenders were received and subjected to a rigorous evaluation process. All proposals were undertaken in accordance with the evaluation plan.

Bowhill Engineering's proposal included the lowest price and was also considered to offer DPTI the best technical solution. This is a great outcome and one that I am sure the member for Hammond, the member for Chaffey and other members with a connection to River Murray communities would support. Of course, the news is probably not so welcome to the member for Unley, who of course went into the media complaining that a company not based in the Riverland was being denied the opportunity to bid for this work—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Okay, I am with you. His time has expired in any case. Leader.